SOYBEAN AGGLUTININ BINDING AS A USEFUL PROGNOSTIC INDICATOR IN STOMACH-CANCER

Soybean agglutinin (SBA)-binding carbohydrate expression was studied i mmunohistochemically in 353 primary gastric carcinomas. The overall ra te of positive SBA staining was 23% (81/353), and positive SBA stainin g was significantly correlated with tumor size, macroscopic tumor type , depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and venous invasion (P < 0 .05). Moreover, patients with tumors that were immunoreactive for SBA demonstrated significantly higher survival (P < 0.01). From these find ings we conclude that careful follow-up and intense postoperative ther apy are required for patients with gastric cancers that lack immunorea ctivity for SBA.